Buildings

Bonvista Mansions

Neighbourhood Map: 
Bonvista and Gaelic Mansions are neighbouring buildings and share the same entrance on Van der Merwe Street in Hillbrow. Both these buildings have been freshly refurbished by JHC.

They provided safe, decent housing at affordable rent rates in this popular part of the city. Most of these units are single rooms which are grouped three or four together with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. Gaelic Mansions was upgraded and reopened in 2007 and Bonvista in 2008.
18 van der Merwe, Hillbrow.

Building Details

96 units, in a 7-storey apartment building.

Occupation: 
2008

Brickfields

Neighbourhood Map: 
The Brickfields project, incorporating Brickfields, Legae and Phumlani, was Johannesburg inner city's first high rise development in 30 years, and is JHC's most ambitious project so far.
Building Details

Total 345 units in a 4-storey walk-ups and 9-storey tower blocks.

  • Bachelor units: 1 unit
  • 1 Bedroom: 90 units
  • 2 Bedroom: 243 units
  • 3 Bedroom: 6 units
  • Live & Work units: 5 units
Occupation: 
2005 and 2006

Carr Gardens

Neighbourhood Map: 
Carr Gardens was JHC's second townhouse development, and its first project in the Forsburg area.
Building Details

Total 211 units in 3 and 4-storey walk-up townhouses built around open courtyards.

  • Single rooms with shared facilities: 14 units
  • 1 Bedroom: 33 units
  • 2 Bedroom: 164 units
Occupation: 
2000

Cresthill Mansions

Neighbourhood Map: 
Cresthill is one of the City of Joburg’s Better Buildings projects that was awarded to JHC.

It was completely refurbished by JHC in 2007, to restore it to good working order and provide safe, decent housing. Cresthill is part of the Pietersen Street eKhaya Neighbourhood Programme. This programme, initiated by JHC and shared by neighbouring property owners, works with city agencies to create and maintain a safe, clean neighbourhood.
Cnr Peterson & Edith Cavell Streets, Hillbrow

Building Details

Total: 157 units, in a 13-storey apartment building.

  • Single rooms with shared facilities: 5 units
  • Bachelor units: 130 units
  • 2 Bedroom: 22 units
Occupation: 
July 2007

Dorchester Mansions

Neighbourhood Map: 
The Dorchester was once a bustling hotel with a vibrant bar and nightclub.

It has now been converted to a seven-storey residential use apartment building. Dorchester Mansions offers tenants a range of accommodation, from single rooms with shared facilities to bachelors units and one-bedroom apartments. The building was refurbished in 2009 and reopened in 2010.

Building Details

Total: 64 units in a 7-storey apartment building.

  • 1 Bedroom units Single rooms with shared facilities Bachelor units
Occupation: 
2010 January

Douglas Rooms

Neighbourhood Map: 
Douglas Rooms is a former miner's hostel built in 1906.

It comprised single rooms with communal washing facilities and ablutions. Douglas Rooms was JHC's first engagement with a community who where living in appalling conditions, without water, electricity and sanitation in massively overcrowded conditions. Tenants were a mix of very poor people and criminals. Douglas Rooms was upgraded in-situ, a two year process drawn out by the extensive negotiations with the resident community.
6 Wilhemina Street, Doornfontein

Building Details

Total: 76 units in twin rows of 2-storey buildings.

  • Single rooms with shared facilities: 76 units
Occupation: 
1998

Elangeni Gardens

Neighbourhood Map: 
Elangeni, JHC's fourth townhouse complex, was the first ever to be built within the Central Business District.

For the first time JHC introduced live/work units which allowed for a commercial shop front on the ground floor of a unit, with a residential unit on the first floor.
80 Albert Street, cnr Troye Street, Marshalltown

Building Details

Total: 168 units in a four-storey walk-up townhouse complex built around an open courtyard.

  • 1 Bedroom: 41 units
  • 2 Bedroom: 115 units
  • Live & Work units: 12 units
Occupation: 
2002

Gaelic Mansions

Neighbourhood Map: 
Bonvista and Gaelic Mansions are neighbouring buildings and share the same entrance on Van der Merwe Street in Hillbrow.

Both these buildings have been freshly refurbished by JHC. They provided safe, decent housing at affordable rent rates in this popular part of the city. Most of these units are single rooms which are grouped three or four together with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. Gaelic Mansions was upgraded and reopened in 2007 and Bonvista in 2008.
18 Van der Merwe, Hillbrow

Building Details

Total: 74 units in a 11-storey apartment building.

  • Single rooms with shared facilities: 67 units
  • Bachelor units: 7 units
Occupation: 
2007 September

Garden Mansions

Neighbourhood Map: 
Garden Mansions is one of the three buildings, including Parkzicht and Douglas Rooms, which together make up the mixed income residential community of Douglas Village.

Garden Mansions is a three-storey apartment building, overlooking the small Maurice Freeman Park across the road where children can play.
6 Wilhemina Street, Doornfontein

Building Details

Total: 23 units in a low-rise apartment building.

  • Bachelor units: 20 units
  • 1 Bedroom: 2 units
  • 2 Bedroom: 1 units
Occupation: 
2000

Hlanganani Gardens

Neighbourhood Map: 
Hlanganani - "People Come Together" - is located at Cosmo City, a huge new suburban development beyond Kya Sand, northwest of central Johannesburg.

Hlanganani is the first development of social housing at Cosmo City and JHC's first development outside the inner city. Hlanganani adds rental housing to the range of housing options available at Cosmo City - offering good value for money at affordable rates for people who prefer to rent.

Building Details

281 units in 2 and 3 storey walk-up buildings.

  • 1 Bedroom: 85 units
  • 2 Bedroom: 190 units,
  • 3 Bedroom: 6 units.
Occupation: 
2009 November

Jeppe Oval Gardens

Neighbourhood Map: 
The first “new build” of the JHC was the Jeppe Oval in 1996.

This was the first new rental accommodation to be built in Johannesburg for over 30 years. It comprised 240 units in a three storey walk up configuration. The name of the development was taken from the historic oval around which the complex is built.
27 Browning Street, Doornfontein

Building Details

Total: 240 units in 3-storey walk-up built around open courtyards.

  • 1 Bedroom: 72 units
  • 2 Bedroom: 168 units
Occupation: 
1997

Lake Success

Neighbourhood Map: 
Lake Success , in Hillbrow, was the first building to be acquired under the Better Buildings Programme.

It had been allowed to deteriorate by its owner, and had been abandoned. The lift motors had been stolen, flat units had been vandalised, and the sewerage system was dysfunctional. The building was extremely overcrowded with up to eight tenants per bachelor flat.
Cnr Peterson & Edith Cavell Streets, Hillbrow

Building Details

Total: 145 units in a 12-storey apartment building.

  • Single rooms with shared facilities: 14 units
  • Bachelor units: 130 units
  • 3 Bedroom units: 1 unit
Occupation: 
2002

Landrost Mansions

Neighbourhood Map: 
The conversion of the Landrost Hotel was the most ambitious and even glamorous refurbishment undertaking by JHC.
Building Details

Total 240 units in a 18-storey tower block.

  • Bachelor units: 132 units
  • 1 Bedroom: 76 units
  • 2 Bedroom: 32 units

Legae Gardens

Neighbourhood Map: 
Legae forms part of the popular Brickfields complex in Newtown. This major new housing development downtown was completed by JHC in 2005.

It is built on the land that once served as Johannesburg’s original brickfields, where the first bricks that were used to build the city were made. The Brickfields complex has created a new residential community in the heart of the city.
Cnr Ntemi Piliso & Gwigwi Mnwebu, Newtown

Building Details

Total: 192 units, in 4-storey walk-ups and 9-storey tower blocks.

  • 1 Bedroom: 45 units
  • 2 Bedroom: 142 units
  • 3 Bedroom: 5 units
Occupation: 
2005

New Hampstead Mansions

Neighbourhood Map: 
New Hampstead was purchased as part of the consolidation of JHC's neighbourhood around the Landrost.

It is a comfortable apartment building with 32 spacious units. It was fully refurbished by JHC and opened to new tenants in 2003. It is located in a busy part of the city, close to the Noord Street Taxi Rank, with Joubert Park nearby and the central business district within easy walking distance.
Cnr Twist & Noord Street, Hillbrow

Building Details

Total: 32 units in a 9-storey apartment building.

  • 1 Bedroom: 32 units
Occupation: 
2003

Parkzicht Mansions

Neighbourhood Map: 
Parkzicht and Garden Mews are adjacent to Douglas Rooms and the consolidation of these buildings into Douglas Village allowed for economies of scale which is subsidised the lower rentals in Douglas Rooms .

Douglas Village became home to JHC's first crèche. It was JHC's first experiment in a mixed income residential precinct.
6 Wilhemina Street, Doornfontein

Building Details

Total: 26 units in a low-rise apartment building.

  • Single rooms with shared facilities: 7 units
  • Bachelor units: 10 units
  • 1 Bedroom units: 8 units
  • 2 Bedroom units: 1 unit
Occupation: 
2000

Phumulani Gardens

Neighbourhood Map: 
Phumulani forms part of JHC’s popular Brickfields complex in Newtown.

As the final phase of this major new housing development downtown, Phumulani opened to tenants in 2006. The Brickfields complex is built on the land that once served as Johannesburg’s original brickfields, where the first bricks that were used to build the city were made. Providing more than 700 units in total, it has created a new residential community in the heart of the city.
Cnr Ntemi Piliso & Gwigwi Mnwebu, Newtown

Building Details

Total: 178 units, in 4-storey walk-ups built around an open courtyard.

  • 1 Bedroom units: 30 units
  • 2 Bedroom units: 144 units
  • 3 Bedroom units: 4 units
Occupation: 
2006

Rondebosch

Neighbourhood Map: 
Rondebosch was JHC's second building acquired under the better buildings programme.

The building is a conversion of an old hotel, and comprises mainly single rooms with common washing facilities and ablutions. It will house JHC's first computer centre, to be managed by Makhulong a Matala.
Cnr Peterson & Edith Cavell Streets, Hillbrow

Building Details

Total: 78 units in a 6-storey building.

  • Single rooms with shared facilities:
  • 51 units Bachelor units: 27 units
Occupation: 
2005

San Martin

Neighbourhood Map: 
San Martin was JHC's first purchase.
Building Details

Total: 49 units in a 7-storey apartment building.

  • Single rooms with shared facilities: 7 units
  • Bachelor units: 12 units
  • 1 Bedroom units: 30 units
Occupation: 
1996

Smitshof Mansions

Neighbourhood Map: 
Smitshof was the second building, after Douglas Rooms , where JHC had done an in-situ upgrade.

This time the co-ordination of construction and residents was on a much larger scale, but luckily not in slum conditions.

Building Details

Total: 115 units in a 17-storey apartment building.

  • Single rooms with shared facilities: 3 units
  • Bachelor units: 38 units
  • 1 Bedroom units: 74 units
Occupation: 
2004

Stanhope Mansions

Neighbourhood Map: 
Stanhope Mansions is a beautiful Art Deco building that dates from the 1930s.

It was fully refurbished by JHC in 2005. It offers tenants a range of accommodation, from spacious one-bedroom and bachelor apartments to single rooms with shared bathroom and kitchen facilities. Stanhope has an active tenants’ committee in place, supporting a strong community spirit in the building.
60 Plein Street, cnr Wanders, Hillbrow

Building Details

Total: 108 units in an 11-storey apartment building.

  • Single rooms with shared facilities: 31units
  • Bachelor units: 42 units
  • 1 Bedroom: 35 units
Occupation: 
2006

Sylvadale Mansions

Neighbourhood Map: 
Sylvadale is a high rise building catering to the same market as Douglas Rooms.

It consists mostly of single rooms with communal washing facilities and ablutions, a configuration which makes for cheaper rentals.
69 Claim Street, corner Petersen Street, Hillbrow

Building Details

Total: 107 units in a 6-storey apartment building.

  • Single rooms with shared facilities: 100 units
  • Bachelor units: 7 units
Occupation: 
2001

Tasnim Mansions

Neighbourhood Map: 
Tasnim was JHC's first refurbishment of an empty multi-storey building, involving the upgrading of existing units and the installation of geysers and water and electricity meters in each flat.

Its proximity to San Martin enabled management economies of scale, and started an urban renewal focus in this neighbourhood. Tasnim was the first building where JHC saw the upgrading impact on surrounding buildings which soon began to sprout new coats of paint.
34 Koch Street, corner Claim Street ,Hillbrow

Building Details

Total: 25 units in a 7-storey apartment building.

  • 1 Bedroom units: 12 units
  • 2 Bedroom units: 13 units
Occupation: 
1997

Towerhill Mansions

Neighbourhood Map: 
Tower Hill combined office and residential usage when it was purchased.

The conversion from office space to 47 residential units a year after purchase was the first ever such conversion in Hillbrow.
37 Kotze Street, cnr Klein Street, Hillbrow

Building Details

Total: 124 units in an 11-storey apartment building.

  • Single rooms with shared facilities: 18 units
  • Bachelor units: 58 units
  • 1 Bedroom units: 35 units
  • 2 Bedroom units: 13 units
Occupation: 
November 1996

Tribunal Gardens

Neighbourhood Map: 
Tribunal Gardens was built on land originally owned by Transnet and was JHC's third townhouse complex.

The design is notable for two major innovations. Loft apartments were introduced for the first time, and washing lines, long a problem for low income developments, were provided on back balconies for each individual unit. Tribunal Gardens was a presidential job summit programme and opened by President Thabo Mbeki.
Cnr Mint & Gillis Streets, Newtown

Building Details

Total: 174 units in 3 and 4-storey walk-ups built around open courtyards.

Occupation: 
2002